William edwaed maultby



(No ModeL.)

W. E. MAULTBY.

ANIMAL'TRAP.

N0.'334,259. Patelnted Jan. 12, 1886.

UNITED STATES ATENT FFICEE.

WILLIAM EDwARD MAULTBY, oF GHEBOYGAN, MroHIGAN, AssiGNoR To THE ONEIDA ooMMUNITY, (LIMITED,) OF COMMUNITY, N. Y.

ANIMAL-TRAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 334,259, dated January 12` 1886.

Application filed October 19, 1885. Serial No. 180.350. (No model.)

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM EDWARD MAUL'rBY, of Oheboygan, in the county of Cheboygan, in the State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Animal-Traps, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the class of animaltraps in which two spring-actuated jaws are arranged to close over a tripping-lever, and are held in their open position by a latch engaging one of the jaws and the tripping-lever.

The object of this invention is to obtain a more secure hold on the entrapped animal, and thus render the trap more efi`eotive in its operation; and to that end it consists in the combination, with the tripping-lever, latch, spring, and the jaw which serves to compress the spring` and is held by 'the latch, of two pivoted gripping-hooks lying across the spring to be actuated thereby, as hereinafterymore fully described, and specifically set forth in the claims.

In the anneXed drawings, Figure I is a perspective view of a trap provided with my improvements, and showing` the same in its set position by full lines and in its sprung position by broken lines; and Fig. II is a detail view of the detachable connection of the gripping-hooks with the traps.

B represents the base of the trap. It consists of an elongated metal plate, to the ends of which are attached two posts, a a, having ears, on which are hinged the j aws A A'. Centralbetween the posts cais an arm, O, secured to the base B, and projecting at right angles therefrom. On the said arm is pivoted the tripping-lever D, which terminates in a pan, D', over the center of the base B, and on the extremity of the arm O is hinged the latch Z, which lies across one of the jaws, A', and engages by its free end with a notch, n, in the heel of the tripping-lever when the trap is set, as represented by full lines in Fig. I of the drawings.

The spring 8, which actuates the jaws A A', is provided with an eye, c, by which it embraces the pivoted end of the two jaws, and 'in setting the trap the spring has to be compressed to allow the jaws A A' to open and the latch Z to be placed across the jaw A' and interlocked with the tripping leVer D, as illustrated in Fig. I of the drawings, and when so set the jaw A' acts as a lever for retaining the spring in its compressed condition.

A slight depression on the pan or free end D' of the tripping-lever D disengages it from the latch Z, and thus releases the jaw A', which,

together with its Companion jaw, A, is then thrown into a closed position by the spring 8.

Traps of the foregoing construction have been in public use for many years, but experience has proved that in some instances they have failed to effectually retain the entrapped animal, and to overcome this defectI now employ two gripping-hooks or curvedprongs, H H, which I pivot on one of the posts a in common with but independent of the jaws A A' the ears of said post sufficiently apart to receive between them side by side the pivoted ends of the aforesaid jaws and hooks, and one set of pins pass through the ears of the post and intervening parts. The pivoted ends of the hooks H H are thus likewise embraccd by the eye e of the spring 8 and actuated by said spring simultaneously with the jaws 'A A'. While the said jaws gripthe leg of the animal the hooks H H are plunged into the body of the same. Inasmuch as the said grippinghooks are wanted only for certain speoies of animals, it is desirable to have them detachable from the trap, and to accomplish this I provide the pivoting ends of the hooks with slots b b, extending into the hooks from one edge thereof and part Way toward the heels of the same, as shown in Fig. II of the drawings, said slot allowing the hooks to be slipped onto and off from the pivoting-pins of the post a when desired.

I do not limit myself to the application of a single set of hooks H to the described trap, as it is obvious that two sets of said hooks may be connected to the two posts.

Having described my invention, whatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with the spring-actuated jaws A A', the gripping-hooks H H, pivoted independently of the said jaws, and the spring 8, for actuating said hooks, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the jaws A A', of

the grpping'-hooks H H, pvoted indepenvenng parts, substantally as described and dently of the said jaws at the outside of the shown.

ends thereof, and the spring 8, embraeing the In testimony whereof I-have herennto signed pivoted ends of the jaWs and hooks to aetumy name and afixed my seal, n the presence 15 5 ate the same simultaneously, snbstantially as of two attesting' witness'es', at Cheboygan, in

described and shown. the county of Oheboygan, in theState of Michi- 3. In combination With the jaws A A' and gan, this 29th day of August, 1885. the hooks H H, the post a, having ears set w WILLIAM EDWARD MAULTBY. [L. 8.] apart to receive between them side by side Vtnesses: 10 the pivoted ends of the said jaws and hooks, ARTHUR F. VVATsoN,

and pins passng through said jaws and inter- VM. H. MAULTBY. 

